







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Erm, I can't work it out, I guess it's more than 150 years old. | |
| Where is my f*cking tenner? | |
| I don't have time to cook everyday. | |
| Taking Bear out usually takes me an hour. | |
| Hello mate, where are you? | |
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | |
| So does that mean you don't want to stay with me? | |
| I'm really sorry about that! | |
| 5 bedroom detached house on Lyme Street, £2,800, is that right? | |
| But their room is almost double the size of our room! | |
| I have no idea... But I hope they have a good excuse! | |
| Sure, our kitchen is newly refurbished... | |
| I really don't want to see her again! | |
| That's a good choice, they do great calamari here, too. | |
| Do they weigh them here or at the checkout? | |
| Do you want me to slice the mushrooms for you? | |
| Do you remember me? | |
| No worries, I have got a peeler for you! | |
| I've got a meeting with some people. | |
| Nope, I don't cook fancy things, only regular dishes. | |